Broker Panmure Gordon edged up 1.5p to 74p on continuing talk that rival Evolution, down 1.5p to 121.5p, may be interested in a takeover.
City gossip has it that Evo staff are being locked into longer deals than expected, supposedly with a view to stopping them defecting to rivals. This could be a real danger if Evo does make a move on Panmure, and some traders have taken this as a sign something is up.
Meanwhile another broker, Collins Stewart, was 5.75p lower at 139.25p. A little while ago there was talk of a management buyout backed by Israeli money, but things have since gone quiet. The broker was also said to be in the sights of Japan's Nomura at the end of last year, but that was subsequently denied.
In the wider market, the FTSE 100 is just about clinging on to the 6000 level. At the moment it is down 74 points at 6002.5. Wall Street is also lower after sluggish US GDP figures and higher-than-expected unemployment benefit claims.
